Finished and just need to write a review. I ended up just raiding my shelves at home and found this older Amy Tan book.

We follow two women in this book. Ruth Young is married and trying to deal with some of the scars she had from being raised by her mother LuLing. Ruth at times I found a bit much to take. I get where she is coming from, but it's obvious she has no idea what her mother had to deal with and her experiences. When an incident occurs that causes Ruth to realize that something dark has happened to LuLing I felt so sorry for her.

The book goes back and forth between these two women and i found myself more engaged with LuLing's story.

This book touches among so many things. What to do when you are the only child and having to care for an ailing parent. How do you forgive your mother for doing the best she can under difficult circumstances.

The book skips back and forth from China to California and though the ending was not as I would have wished it to be (a happily ever after) I did like where Tan went with it.